It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact for many musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
